Harry Potter and the Five Transfer Students
by LexaRose
Summary: GWHP xover - HET & YAOI - AU for GW-verse - to promote magical cooperation, Hogwarts accepts five transfers, who may be the key to Harry surviving his 6th year and the lastest threats to his life
1. Prologue

**Title:** Harry Potter and the Five Transfer Students (have any other ideas?)

**Author:** Alexis – mezzomonkey@earthlink.net

**Pairings:** Ron+Hermione, 1+2, 3+4, 5+Meilan, perhaps others

**Rating:** let's just say R to play things safe, yes?

**Warnings: ** hmm…crossover, AU, shounen ai/yaoi, het, potential bad language, some degree of violence, fangirly Japanese, corny jokes, sap, angst of the romantic nature, magic

**Archive:** At FFN and MediaMiner under LexaRose, and if anyone else wants me, just ask!

**Disclaimer:**  Don't own the GWing boys, don't own Harry Potter…I'm just playing for fun!  

**Notes:** This story is AU for the Gundam Wing boys (sorry, no time travel or mechas here, unfortunately!)

~*~*~*~*~

Early mornings were nothing new to Heero Yuy.  He had been up since the rising of the sun, first jogging, and then practicing his martial arts.  He had just gotten out of the bath and dressed when an owl flew into the room, dropping off a letter.

_Mr. Heero Yuy_

_Dressing Room_

_Arashi__ Sento_

_Kyoto__, __Japan___

Curious about who would be sending him a letter, he carefully broke the wax seal and read the enclosed letter.

_Dear Mr. Yuy,_

_I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted as a transfer student to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In an effort to promote magical cooperation, you, along with four other students, have been selected for our new transfer program.  We will expect your answer by owl no later than July 31st.  The school train leaves from Kings Cross Station on September 1st.  Your books and supplies list has been enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Refolding the letter, a smile on his normally stoic face, Heero hurried home to relate the good news to his parents.

~*~*~*~*~

On the other side of the world, Duo Maxwell was taking advantage of the light of the full moon to sketch a nighttime scene of the Burying Point on Charter Street, the oldest cemetery in Salem.  Duo was often found outside at night, sketching the different historical landmarks of his hometown.  The fact that he was in fact a wizard only added to the morbidity of his artwork.  

While adding some extra shading to the headstone of Justice John Hathorne, an owl dropped a letter right onto his sketchpad.  With a glare at the retreating bird, he snatched up the letter, reading the front of the envelope.

_Mr. Duo Maxwell_

_Against the Fence_

_Charter__Street__Cemetery___

_Salem__, __Massachusetts___

_USA___

With a shrug and a quirk of the lips, he tore open the envelope, eager to see what was inside.

_Dear Mr. Maxwell,_

_I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted as a transfer student to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In an effort to promote magical cooperation, you, along with four other students, have been selected for our new transfer program.  We will expect your answer by owl no later than July 31st.  The school train leaves from Kings Cross Station on September 1st.  Your books and supplies list has been enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

"YES!  I'm in, I'm in!"  Duo then jumped up, no longer thinking of finishing his drawing, and ran home to send back his response right away.

~*~*~*~*~

Trowa Barton was out in the forest behind his house, playing with the family of kneazles [1] he found there the prior summer.  An unfamiliar owl then swooped down and passed him a letter, before taking a perch at his shoulder.  After giving the owl a quick stroke of the feathers in thanks, he turned to his letter.

_Mr. Trowa Barton_

_Kneazle__ Den Grounds_

_F____ret__ de la Nuit_

_Nice, __France___

Turning the letter over, his one visible green eye widened at the sight of the crest on the seal, the other having been obscured by his long cinnamon bangs.  Carefully opening the letter, so as not to break the wax seal, he withdrew the two sheets of parchment nestled inside.

_Dear Mr. Barton,_

_I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted as a transfer student to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In an effort to promote magical cooperation, you, along with four other students, have been selected for our new transfer program.  We will expect your answer by owl no later than July 31st.  The school train leaves from Kings Cross Station on September 1st.  Your books and supplies list has been enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

After thanking the owl for her timely delivery, and saying goodbye to his animal friends, Trowa made the trek back through the woods back home to share the news with his sister.

~*~*~*~*~

Standing at the window of his office, Quatre Winner looked down at the blazing hot sands of the desert and let loose with a melancholy sigh.  Ever since his father died the previous year, he had been officially in charge of his father's business ventures, although thanks to his twenty-nine sisters, there really wasn't much for him to do besides sign papers and attend board meetings when he wasn't in school.  To put it bluntly, he was bored; bored with the repetition of his life, bored with being the head of a multi-billion dollar company yet not doing any of the work, bored with the heat and the sand that got everywhere, just bored with everything!

A loud squawk brought Quatre out of his introspection to see a large owl perched on his desk holding an envelope.  Crossing the room, he took the envelope from the bird, filled with curiosity.

_Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner_

_Largest Office, 50th Floor_

_Winner Enterprises, Inc. Building_

_Riyadh__, __Saudi Arabia___

With one blonde eyebrow raised, he neatly opened the envelope, careful not to wrinkle the parchment inside, and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Winner,_

_I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted as a transfer student to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In an effort to promote magical cooperation, you, along with four other students, have been selected for our new transfer program.  We will expect your answer by owl no later than July 31st.  The school train leaves from Kings Cross Station on September 1st.  Your books and supplies list has been enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

A sunny smile lighting his face for the first time that day, happy about this new turn of events that would hopefully alleviate the boredom and repetition his life had fallen into.  "Rashid!  Come quickly, I have wonderful news!"

~*~*~*~*~

It was quiet at the Chang family ancestral shrine, which is why Wufei could be found there early in the mornings in meditation after offering up prayers to his ancestors.  This morning was no different from the others, except for the fact that his meditation was interrupted by the light tapping of a beak on his knee.  Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of a tawny owl holding a letter, waiting patiently for his attention.  Inclining his head politely, he took the letter from the bird and scanned the envelope.

_Mr. Chang Wufei_

_The Floor_

_Chang Family Shrine_

_Chaozhou__, __Guangdong__ Province_

_China___

Rising to his feet, he left the shrine, so as not to disturb his ancestors with his possible reactions to the letter's contents.

_Dear Mr. Chang,_

_I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted as a transfer student to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In an effort to promote magical cooperation, you, along with four other students, have been selected for our new transfer program.  We will expect your answer by owl no later than July 31st.  The school train leaves from Kings Cross Station on September 1st.  Your books and supplies list has been enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Upon receiving this happy news, Wufei immediately rushed to inform the clan elders of the honor bestowed upon the Chang family by this rare acceptance to the transfer program.

~*~*~*~*~

[1] A kneazle is defined by the Harry Potter Lexicon as "a very intelligent cat-like creature can detect unsavory or suspicious persons very well and will react badly to them. However, if a kneazle takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The kneazle has spotted fur, large ears, and a lion-like tail".  Since in a canon GW story, Trowa has his lions at the circus, I figured he would get along rather well with kneazles.  ****


	2. New Friends in Diagon Alley

**Title:** Harry Potter and the Five Transfer Students (for lack of a better title)

**Author:** Alexis – mezzomonkey@earthlink.net

**Pairings:** Ron+Hermione, 1+2, 3+4, 5+Meilan, perhaps others

**Rating:** let's just say R to play things safe, yes?

**Warnings: ** hmm…crossover, AU, shounen ai/yaoi, het, potential bad language, some degree of violence, fangirly Japanese, corny jokes, sap, angst of the romantic nature, magic

**Archive:** At FFN and MediaMiner under LexaRose, and if anyone else wants me, just ask!

**Disclaimer:**  Don't own the GWing boys, don't own Harry Potter…I'm just playing for fun!  

**Notes:** This story is AU for the Gundam Wing boys (sorry, no time travel or mechas here, unfortunately!)

~*~*~*~*~

Duo Maxwell arrived in Diagon Alley, thanks to a wonderful portkey set up by his old teacher, Professor G.  Grinning like a madman, he went straight to the Leaky Cauldron, and reserved himself a room for the night.  

Coming out of his room to go get his shopping over with, he ended up crashing into a blonde boy leaving the room across the hall.  "Oof!  Man, I'm sorry!  I didn't even see you there!"

The blonde looked up at him and smiled.  "That's quite alright, I didn't see you either.  My name is Quatre Raberba Winner; I'm transferring to Hogwarts this year.  Do you go there?"

"Wow, you're a transfer too?  So am I; the name is Duo Maxwell.  I run and I hide, but I never tell a lie.  That's me in a nutshell.  What school are you transferring from?"

"I used to attend Madhdhab Ghaib [1] in Saudi Arabia.  That means, roughly, School of the Unseen."

"Very cool, I never would have guessed that you were Arabic though, must be the blonde hair.  I'm from the Salem Witches Institute of Salem, Massachusetts.  I know, I know, I'm a guy; they just kept the name since the school has been there since the founding of Salem back in the 1600s.  Hey, I still have to get my books and stuff, wanna come along?"

"Sure, that sounds great.  Shall we go?"  Quatre swung his arm out in a grand gesture, pointing the way towards the stairs.

"But of course, my good man.  Let us be off!"  Duo said this with a jaunty little wave, and made his way down the stairs and out of the building.  

Once outside, the two foreigners paused to get their bearings and decide where to go first.  Both were feeling slightly overwhelmed in their new surroundings, but were excited at the same time.  Quatre grabbed the sleeve of Duo's robes, tugging him in the direction of Flourish and Blotts.  "Let's go get our books, and get that part over with."

The pair weaved their way through the crowds of people and eventually ended up inside the crowded bookstore.  "Whew.  Glad we got through that mess!  Now let's see, what do we need?  You're a sixth year, right," Duo asked.  Quatre nodded in reply, which earned him a grin.  "Good, so am I.  That means we need two copies of the _Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six_, _Advanced Transfiguration_, um, what other classes are you taking?"

"I'm continuing with Divination, so I need _Toying with the Tarot_, and -" Quatre suddenly cut off, looking towards the doorway of the shop.  "Duo, look," he said in a low whisper.  "There's Harry Potter!  We're going to be in the same year as him."

Shooting a bored glance over at the newcomer, he looked back at his companion, somewhat reproachfully.  "Now, Q, I'm sure the guy has had enough of all that hero-worship bullshit from everyone else at the school.  Let's not fall in with that, and just treat him like anyone else, I'm sure he'd appreciate not being goggled at by even more people."

Quatre looked properly chastened.  "You're right; it does seem rather silly, since he is still just a sixteen year-old just like us.  What do you say we go over there and do the friendly thing, and introduce ourselves?"

"Now that sounds like a plan, my man!"

~*~*~*~*~

Harry walked into Flourish and Blotts with Hermione and Ron in tow, the two of them bickering over the fact that Hermione didn't think Ron did enough studying over the summer.  Tuning them out, Harry noticed a blonde boy his age looking at him, and he groaned internally.  The new boy looked about his age, and seemed to be speaking with a girl with long chestnut hair drawn into a braid.

The pair turned and headed towards Harry and his friends, both wearing large smiles.  Harry was in fact surprised to note that the one with the braid was in fact a _guy, _not a girl.  "Hey there!  You folks go to Hogwarts, right?"  This inquiry from the braided boy brought and end to Ron and Hermione's argument in favor of inspecting the newcomers.  "The name's Duo, Duo Maxwell.  I'm a transfer student from the good ol' US of A."

"And I'm Quatre Raberba Winner, and I'm also a transfer student, but I come from Saudi Arabia."

Hermione seemed ready to jump on the two new students in an effort to gain more knowledge due to different teaching practices at different schools.  "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley." At this, Ron waved and greeted them.

"I'm Harry Potter; it's nice to meet you both."  Harry held back on a cringe, waiting for the inevitable questions and adulation from the new students.  Instead he just got a grin and a slap on the back from Duo.

"Cool, but I hope you don't expect me to kiss your ass because of that.  I figure you're a guy, just like me, and you don't need a flock of fair-weather friends that want a piece of your fame.  Don't get me wrong, I still wanna make friends, but only because you seem like a cool guy, and let me tell you, Duo Maxwell does not lie."

Harry grinned at the mouthful from the violet-eyed American.  He found Duo's blunt honesty quite refreshing, and so different from so much of the double-talk back at school.  "That sounds perfect to me; I have enough of a fan club already, without cultivating more members."

Quatre and Ron had braced themselves for a potential confrontation, and they both sighed in relief when it didn't come to pass.  However it seemed that their relief was a little early, because a voice dripping in sarcasm came from behind Duo.

"Did Potter find himself a new girlfriend, since he got dumped by Chang?"

Harry growled, "Malfoy."  He took in the sight of his most hated rival, his green eyes sparking with anger.

Duo, on the other hand, whirled around, his long braid swinging in an arc, smacking into Draco.  "Excuse me, but I'm a guy.  Do we have a problem with that?"

Draco sputtered, surprised that the slim girl that Potter was talking to was in fact a boy with a three-foot long braid and wide violet eyes set in a delicate, heart-shaped face.  

Quatre took this moment to cut in, falling quite easily into the role of peacemaker.  "Guys, there's no need to fight about this.  Duo, he only saw you from behind, he couldn't tell if you were a guy or a girl.  I'm sure that, oh I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"

The Slytherin's silver gaze slid over to the blonde with the trusting aqua eyes.  "Malfoy.  Draco Malfoy."

Quatre nodded.  "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner, and this is Duo Maxwell.  We're both transfer students.  But anyway, I'm sure that you meant no insult to Duo when you made your statement.  So why don't we all just put this little incident behind us like it never happened?"

The whole group stared at Quatre, amazed at how he thoroughly defused the situation in a matter of minutes, without anyone drawing wands or attempting to pummel each other into the carpeting.  Duo then grinned and ruffled his new friend's hair.  "Well, Q, you're a good guy to have around, I think we'll keep you."  He then walked away, guiding the others to follow him, leaving Draco behind.

"Boy, is that guy always that irritating?"

Ron scowled, "No, he's usually much worse.  Nasty piece of work, he is, all about pure-blood supremacy and his family's wealth.  We even finally had proof last year that his father was in league with You-Know-Who."

Duo and Quatre looked at each other, blinked, and then laughed.  Quieting down, Quatre shrugged.  "Well, I'm sure he won't like me.  I've definitely got much more money than he does, and I'm Muggle-born.  Not that I'm complaining, I wouldn't want to know him anyway."

With a rather sardonic smirk, Duo commented, "Hey, at least you know if you are or not.  I'm an orphan, so I don't know if my parents were magic.  I was lucky enough that a kind old witch adopted me because she realized that I wasn't a muggle.  Else, I wouldn't be here today with you fine people.  And that, my friends, would be a tragedy in itself."

The five new friends then gathered the books they'd need for the upcoming year and paid for them, coming back out into the sunlight with their arms heavier and their pockets lighter.  "What else does everyone need to get?" Hermione inquired.  "Remember, we still need to pick up parchment, quills and ink."

"I need more wood polish for my broomstick."

"We HAVE to go by Fred and George's shop; I want to pick up some Skiving Snackboxes."

"I think I would like to pick up an owl good for long-distance deliveries."

"ICE CREAM.  I definitely need ice cream.  Anyone else game?"

So the three Britons, one Arabian, and one entirely too happy American made their way to Florean Fortescue's to have an ice cream treat before continuing with their shopping.  After ordering, they all sat down at an outdoor table so that they could watch the different people go about their business.  

Happily munching on his strawberry and chocolate sundae, Duo suddenly paused, his violet eyes wider than normal.  He just sat there staring incredulously, his mouth hanging open.  Ron, who happened to be sitting next to him, pinched the braided wizard in the side which caused him to yelp indignantly.  "Oi!  What was that for?"

"You just kind of froze, what happened?  Did you see someone you know, someone you don't want to see?"  Harry looked at his new friend, confused at what could elicit such a reaction.

Duo shook his head vehemently.  "No, quite the opposite, someone I don't know, and someone I DEFINITELY want to see.  Look over there, outside of Flourish and Blotts."

The others complied, trying to see what had floored Duo so much.  Hermione's eyes widened, let out a small "oh", and then had a kind of goofy smile on her face.  Quatre looked over, then back at Duo, snickering.  "Cute," he said, and continued to snicker at Harry and Ron's looks of utter confusion.

"Who is it, mate?  I don't see anyone over there except for that foreign-looking guy."  Ron scratched his head at this, wondering if the girl Duo was looking at had walked inside the store.

"Exactly!"  Duo grinned at the dawning looks of comprehension on both the other boys faces.  "He's gorgeous; do you know who he is?"

Ron stuttered, whereas Harry recovered much more quickly.  "No, sorry, I don't recognize him from Hogwarts, but maybe he's a transfer like you."  He then gave Duo a sly smile.  "You could always go and talk to him."  Quatre and Hermione quickly joined in, nodding to indicate their agreement to that plan.

Now it was Duo's turn to stutter.  "Wh-what?  No, I couldn't!  He probably doesn't even like guys, and he looks like he could kick my ass!  Plus, he probably doesn't even speak English.  And I doubt he's another transfer, there are only five of us.  What are the chances of meeting another of them today before getting to school?"

Ron finally collected himself enough to speak, or rather, tease.  "What, are you telling me that you're scared?  You had no trouble talking to any of us, why not have a go with him?"

"No offense, but I wasn't exactly so thrown off-kilter as to be speechless with you guys, like this guy did to me.  And believe me, to make me speechless is quite a feat.  Also, I'm a friendly guy, I like meeting new people.  This guy, however, is making my heart beat so fast I can hear it pounding in my ears.  I'll probably do something so remarkably dumb, that he'll think I'm a total moron."

"No offense taken," Hermione said with a smile.  "I quite agree with you, he is rather good-looking."  This of course earned her a sharp glare from Ron.  "Besides, since we don't recognize him, and he is school-going age, I'm almost positive that he must be one of the transfers.  That means he won't know anyone here, so you should go and introduce yourself, maybe invite him to join us."

At this point, Harry, Ron, and Quatre joined in with Hermione, and they finally convinced Duo to go up to the stranger.  "Man, with friends like you guys, who needs enemies?"  The only answer he got to that was four angelic smiles.  Shaking his head, he stood and made his way over to the bookstore they just left.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero Yuy had been watching the braided boy since he walked into Flourish and Blotts with another young wizard around his age.  He had been browsing through the titles, observing the good-looking teen at the same time, and overheard his conversation with the three Hogwarts students, as well as the confrontation with the other one.

_Hmm,_ he thought.  _He and his companion are both transfers like me.  Good, that means I'll have the opportunity to get to know him better.  _Heero finished that thought with a slight quirking of the lips that could almost be considered a smile.  After watching the group leave the store, he made his purchases and exited as well.  

He stood outside, trying to decide where to go next, hoping to run into the braided teen again, when he felt eyes on him.  Scanning the crowds, he found out that it was none other than the very object of his thoughts looking completely dumbstruck.

A small smile curved the Japanese boy's lips.  _Well, this does make things quite a bit more interesting.  And it looks like his friends are trying to get him to come over here.  _When he finally saw the boy stand up and come over, the smile became infinitesimally larger.

"Hey there, I couldn't help but notice that you're all by your lonesome over here.  Would you like to join me and my friends?"

"Sure."

"Great!"  Duo began to lead Heero back to Fortescue's, stealing a covert glance at his new companion.  "The name's Duo Maxwell, I'm transferring to Hogwarts for my sixth year.  Do you go there?"

Heero nodded.  "Heero Yuy.  I'm a transfer also."

A huge smile broke out on Duo's face, which made Heero's breath catch in his throat.  "That's awesome!  I bet we'll have some classes together then."  By then they had reached the table at the ice cream parlor where he had left his new friends.  "Hey guys, this is Heero, he's a transfer too.  Heero, this is Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Quatre.  Quatre is also a transfer student.  I wonder who the other two are."  When each of their names was mentioned, the others waved in greeting.

Quatre smiled at the new person in their group.  "Where are you transferring from, Heero?  I'm from Saudi Arabia, and Duo is from the States."

"Japan."

This immediately caused Hermione to pounce, almost literally, on him.  "Did you go to Gakkou no Houou [2]?  I've read that that's the best magic school in the East.  I wonder what differences there have been in all of your training as opposed to ours."

Duo, who had just returned from fetching a chair for their newcomer, placed it down next to his and sat down, looking forlornly at his rather melted sundae.  "Heero, sit down, take a load off.  Do you want an ice cream, mine's all melted."

Heero shook his head, "I'll get it; you just wait here."  And with that, he disappeared into the parlor to get ice cream.  

Duo, in the meanwhile, automatically ducked from the bombardment of questions flying at him.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Aren't you glad you didn't chicken out?"

"I bet he's really smart, so he'll be a good friend to have."  That one was unmistakably Hermione.

"He's coming back, and look, Duo!  He got you another ice cream!"  Quatre grabbed Duo's arm to point this out, acting like a giddy school – erm – boy.

Duo peeked over, and then immediately turned back to Quatre, his cheeks turning a rather attractive shade of pink.  "Shhh!" he hissed.  "Don't make too much out of it, he's just being nice!"

Heero came back to the table, and set one of the ice creams in front of Duo.  "Here, your ice cream melted because of me, so I thought I'd get you another one."

Duo shot Quatre a glance that said, "See?  I told you so," and then looked back at Heero.  "Thanks man, that was really nice of you."  Duo then noticed that Heero's eyes, which were shaded by his overly long bangs, were an astonishing shade of blue, and not brown like he originally thought.

Harry then cleared his throat, bringing the attention of the two boys back to the rest of the group.  "So, Heero, have you run into any of the other transfer students yet?"

Taking a bite of his mint chip, Heero shook his head in response.  Swallowing, he continued, "I just arrived today.  I did all my shopping; you five are the first people I've spoken with besides shopkeepers."

Hermione waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.  "Well, meeting three out of five in one day is pretty good, and we'll see the other two at the feast, if not before then.  I wonder where they are from."

Duo took a large bite of ice cream, closing his eyes in pleasure.  "Mmm…ow!  Oh man, brain freeze!  This sucks."  He then pouted, rubbing his temples in a soothing manner.

Everyone at the table laughed.  "Well, I'm sure none of them will be quite like you; you're one of a kind, Duo."  Ron managed to cut down his sniggering enough to get that sentence out.

The aforementioned American shot a glare at Ron, and then went back to rubbing his temples.  After another moment, he sighed, and started eating his ice cream again, at a much slower pace.

"Mmm, so you're all staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the night, right?"  Four nods was the reply.  "Good, we can finish up with our shopping, and then meet Ginny there for dinner later."  At the three identical looks of confusion, Harry grinned.  "Ginny is Ron's sister, she's a year behind us.  She went to meet up with her friends earlier."

"I still can't believe that she became such good friends with Tonks, even though she's so much older than Ginny."

Quatre then interjected politely, "Who is Tonks?  Is she another student?"  

This caused the three Britons to exchange glances, and then Harry shook his head.  "No, I guess you could call Tonks a sort-of relation, or a friend of the family.  She's my godfather's cousin."

"Well, we can go to the stationary store and pick up parchment and quills and whatnot, and then head next door to Quality Quidditch Supplies for the wood polish for Harry's broomstick, and across the way is Eeylops Owl Emporium, where Quatre can find himself a long-distance owl.  Anywhere else we need to go?"  After a significant look from Ron, Hermione added, "Besides Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?"

Heero looked thoughtful, and then added, "I need to stop by the apothecary and pick up some ingredients for my potion-making kit.  Other than that, I have all my supplies."  The others nodded, and after finishing their ice cream, left the parlor to finish their shopping.  

After picking up everything except for Quatre's owl, they went into Eeylops'.  The blonde Arabian was drawn immediately to a large golden and black Eagle owl.  "This is it, he's perfect!"  Finding a salesperson, he immediately purchased the bird, a cage, and a supply of Owl Treats.  

The group made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron after a long day of purse-lightening.  "So Quatre, what are you going to name him?" Duo inquired of his newfound friend.

"I think I'll call him Sandrock.  His coloring reminds me of the desert back home."

"Well, I hope he gets along with Shinigami."

This remark caused Heero to look sharply at Duo, as if stunned to hear what he said.  "Did you say, 'Shinigami'?  Who's that?"

Duo scratched at the back of his head, embarrassed.  "Oh yeah, you're Japanese, you'd know what that means.  Shinigami is my cat, she's pure black, and it just seemed like an appropriate name for personal reasons."

Everyone else looked at the pair with varying states of confusion.  Ron finally decided to be the one to go out on a limb and ask the question that was on the rest of their minds.  "So what does this 'Shinny Gammy' thing mean?"

Heero and Duo both laughed at the mispronunciation.  "No, it's 'Shinigami', and it means God of Death, and no, before you ask, I'm not going to get into why I named her that.  Maybe sometime I will, but not now."  

The other five looked worried, but accepted his explanation for now, hoping that they'd find out the story sooner rather than later.

They had a quiet dinner with Ron's sister and mother, and all promised to meet up in the morning, so that they could make their way to Kings Cross station together to catch the train.  Saying their goodnights, Quatre and Duo made their way over to their rooms, which were on the opposite side of the floor than the others.  

"Hey, Q-man, I'll catch you in the AM, alright?"

"Sounds good to me, Duo.  I'll see you tomorrow.  'Night!"  Quatre then disappeared into his room and closed the door behind him.  

Duo leaned up against his door for a moment, closing his eyes.  "Yeah.  'Night."  Turning around, he opened the door and went inside.

~*~*~*~*~

[1] Madhdhab is the Arabic word for "school of thought" and Ghaib is Arabic for "unseen".  Now, I know nothing about grammar and sentence structure as far as that language is concerned, I just wanted something that sounded right and kinda wizard-y.  I thought it worked nicely!

[2] Gakkou is Japanese for "school", and Houou means "Legendary Phoenix", so ta-da!  School of the Legendary Phoenix.  I thought it was quite cute, I've been having lots of fun naming the different wizarding schools (well, except for Duo's, because that was mentioned briefly in GOF, and one other, but you'll see, probably next chapter)


	3. Train ride and sorting

**Title:** Harry Potter and the Five Transfer Students (maybe I should hold a naming contest!)

**Author:** Alexis – mezzomonkey@earthlink.net

**Pairings:** Ron+Hermione, 1+2, 3+4, 5+Meilan, perhaps others

**Rating:** let's just say R to play things safe, yes?

**Warnings: ** hmm…crossover, AU, shounen ai/yaoi, het, potential bad language, some degree of violence, fangirly Japanese, corny jokes, sap, angst of the romantic nature, magic

**Archive:** At FFN and MediaMiner under LexaRose, and if anyone else wants me, just ask!

**Disclaimer:**  Don't own the GWing boys, don't own Harry Potter…I'm just playing for fun!  

**Notes:** This story is AU for the Gundam Wing boys (sorry, no time travel or mechas here, unfortunately!)

~*~*~*~*~

Harry woke the next morning without any prodding from Mrs. Weasley, the new students he met yesterday making him eager for the new school year.  There were other things, of course, that he wasn't looking forward to dealing with though.  The next mysterious Defense against the Dark Arts professor for one; Malfoy and the other brainless gits in Slytherin for another.  

After what happened at the end of last year in the Department of Mysteries, things were sure to be tense, especially between those whose families were confirmed as Death Eaters and the members of the impromptu Dumbledore's Army.

Probably the best thing that did come out of all that mess was Fudge getting sacked for his incompetence, and Arthur Weasley being appointed interim Minister of Magic.  He was basically a shoo-in for the official post; it was just waiting for an actual election, which would be held next month.

Looking over at Ron, who was sound asleep and snoring about as loud as one of Uncle Vernon's power drills, Harry puzzled over how to wake up his best friend.  Over the summer, they had gotten into the habit of thinking up funny ways to wake the one who slept later.  Harry was luckily the one who normally woke up first, so he had a lot of practice, and this may be the last time he'd get to indulge in this bit of silliness for a while.

With a mischievous grin, Harry crept over to Ron's bed, and whispered in his ear, "Ron, the Chudley Cannons are disbanding to all become ballerina dancers."

The red-haired Gryffindor was out of bed like a shot, screaming all sorts of obscenities until he noticed Harry rocking back and forth on the floor, shaking with laughter.  "That's not funny, Harry!  You never joke around with a man's Quidditch team!  It's just not right!"  Harry was still laughing when Ron stomped off to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Twenty minutes later found the boys and their belongings downstairs with everyone else, and waiting impatiently for Duo to finish getting ready.  Just as Quatre was about to go back up and fetch him, the braided wizard ran down the stairs hauling his trunk. He had a small kitten clinging to him, almost totally blending in with his black clothing, except for the unblinking golden eyes.  They were calmly taking in everything as if this were an everyday occurrence with her owner, which it may well be.

"Man, you guys would not believe the argument I had with my mirror this morning over my hair.  Apparently it's rather old-fashioned, and it was berating me on its length, saying it's improper for a man to wear his hair so long.  Bah!  Going on about how "in his day, boys looked like boys".  Do I really look like a girl?"

After they all stopped laughing, which earned them black looks from Duo, they all reassured him that yes he did look like a boy, and no, he should not chop all that hair off.  But by that time, they all had to pile into the cabs that had been hailed for them over on Charing Cross Road, so that they could make it to the train station on time.

After showing the new students how to get through the barrier onto platform 9 ¾, they had to physically restrain Duo from running back and forth between the two in fascination.  ("Wow, there's nothing cool like that in Salem, too much witch lore around, so nobody hides as much as in other places.")  Hermione and Ron made their way to meet up with the other prefects, and Harry guided his three new friends to find an empty compartment.

Finally finding a compartment towards the back of the train, Harry sat down, with Quatre quickly sitting beside the British boy.  _Quatre, you angelic-looking devil, I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you._  These contradictory thoughts were running through Duo's head as he took a seat by the window so as to observe their journey to his new school.  He was hyper-aware of the object of his – affection?  attraction?  obsession? – sitting next to him, almost too close for comfort.  

"It's so green, and…sunny.  I thought it was supposed to rain a lot in England?  That's what I always heard."

Harry laughed at the confusion apparent in Duo's voice.  "It does rain a lot, but not so much in the summer.  Just wait, you'll get plenty of rain.  That's what keeps everything so green."

Quatre smiled, excited.  "I love this, it's so different from what I'm used to.  The arid heat and sand as far as you can possibly see.  I really am happy to be coming to Hogwarts; it's nice to get away from home."

Heero nodded.  "It will be a good experience; I am quite intrigued with discovering the differences in teaching styles.  I've heard many good things about Professor Vector from my old Arithmancy professor, Dr. J."

"As far as I've know, he's quite good.  Hermione raves about him constantly; I do believe it's her favorite class.  You'll more than likely end up in the same section as her, depending on what house you get sorted into."

"Sorted," Quatre mused.  "How do they go about doing that?  What are the different houses like?"

"Well, if you've heard any horror stories about wrestling a troll, or some other rubbish, just ignore it.  You just have to put on the Sorting Hat, and it will tell you where you belong."

"So there's some freaky talking hat that looks into your head and tells you where you're supposed to live?"  Duo was looking quite skeptical at this point.

"It really works out quite nicely.  I've questioned my placement, because of some things that happened my second year, but it was right."

"What house are you in," inquired Heero.

"Well, there are four houses, named after the four founders of the school.  I'm in Gryffindor, and so are Ron and Hermione.  It's said that those who are brave and daring end up there.  I guess that's right; at least, we've had enough messes thrown at us that we had to get through.  Then there's Ravenclaw, the most scholarly usually end up there.  Well, except for Hermione, but then again, she's more of an exception.  Hufflepuff is full of kind and very loyal people.  Then there's Slytherin.  That boy you met in Flourish and Blotts, Malfoy, he's from Slytherin house.  It's been proven to produce a lot of Dark witches and wizards.  Voldemort was the last heir of Salazar Slytherin."

At the mention of the Dark Lord's name, Quatre shivered visibly, Heero snorted, and Duo laughed.  "Well, no wonder Malfoy's such a prick.  If he's from that house, it's like he was predestined to be that way.  Hope I don't end up getting placed there, that would just suck."  Heero and Quatre nodded in agreement with that statement.

Just then, the witch with the sweets trolley came by, and each of the boys purchased some snacks.  Duo especially got an assortment of Cauldron Cakes, Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and Licorice Wands.  

Suddenly the door opened, and a rather spacey-looking blonde walked in, seemingly by accident.  "Hey there, Luna, how was your summer?"

"It was quite wonderful, thank you.  Father and I did quite a lot of traveling, you know.  Who are your friends, Harry?  Are they growing first years larger now?"

This caused Harry, Duo and Quatre to laugh, whereas Heero just cocked one eyebrow at the insinuation that he was a very large 11 year-old.  The ever-friendly Quatre cut in.  "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner; I'm a transfer student from Saudi Arabia."

Duo then stood and took her hand, bowing deeply over it.  "Duo Maxwell, transfer student and damn Yankee, all rolled into a delightful braided bundle."

Heero inclined his head, "Heero Yuy, Japan."

Luna just smiled at everyone.  "Luna Lovegood.  Welcome to Hogwarts.  It's quite good that you've already met Harry, and I would assume also Ronald and Hermione as well.  But I must be off, I was looking for Neville when I popped in to say hello.  See you later!"  And with that, Luna was gone, wandering in the same dreamy state as she came in with.

Duo resumed his seat next to Heero, and groaned.  "We're going to have to change into robes soon, aren't we?"

Harry nodded, "The Hogwarts uniforms aren't that bad though, I rather like them."

"Yes, but we were requested to show up in the traditional robes of our former schools for tonight only.  We might as well get this over with."  Quatre looked particularly hesitant to be wearing his old school robes, which made Harry very curious as to what they looked like.  

The three transfers grabbed bundles of clothing and made their way to the bathroom so they could each take their turns changing.  Duo went in first, and came out wearing a black outfit, which was very old-fashioned looking, reminiscent of the clothing worn by Puritan settlers in the early 17th century.  The only thing breaking the monotony was a splash of white at the collar of the outfit.  Heero was next, and he had changed into a green and black robe that was much like a traditional kimono.  Finally it was Quatre's turn, who then emerged wearing robes of pale pink with a matching _ghutra_ [1] covering most of his blonde locks.  

He scowled at his two friends, who were wearing almost identical smirks.  "It wasn't exactly my idea to make this uniform pink!  I don't know what they were thinking!  Besides, it's not like either of yours are at the height of _haute couture_ either."

The trio made their way back to the compartment they shared with Harry, where Ron and Hermione were also waiting for them, all three of them already in their Hogwarts robes.  After glaring at Ron and Harry for snickering, Hermione said, "The train should be pulling in any moment now.  Since you're transfers and not first years, you'll be taking the carriages with us, instead of the boats across the lake."

Ron patted Quatre on the shoulder sympathetically.  "Well, mate, I bet you're looking forward to having a different uniform, aren't you?"

Heero grunted.  "I think we all are.  It's one thing to wear these things when everyone else is, it's quite another to wear it when everyone else is dressed rather normally."  

Duo nodded in agreement.  "So after we get sorted, they give us the ties and whatnot for our house, right?  I am so sick of looking like a freaky Pilgrim.  At least they didn't make us wear some ugly shoes with buckles."  Duo then indicated the big clunky black boots he was wearing.  "At least my footwear had some style!"

"At least you don't look like a girl!  I'm the only boy, I have twenty-nine sisters, and I ended up wearing something that makes me look just like all of them!"

Everyone goggled at Quatre.  "Twenty-nine sisters?  You're joking, right?"  Hermione almost looked like she was in pain.

"I'm afraid not," replied Quatre.  "And I'm the only one who is a wizard in the family, so that was yet another thing for my father to disapprove of.  He was constantly threatening to disown me, and probably would have if it wasn't for my oldest sister, Iria.  She's the one who convinced him that by having a wizard as CEO of Winner Enterprises, it would open up the business to a new market."

The train stopped, ending their line of discussion.  The six of them filed out with the rest of the students, first years being taken away by Hagrid after bestowing a wink on his favorite trio of Gryffindors.  Harry, Ron and Hermione led their three new friends towards the line of carriages when Duo suddenly paused with a gasp.  The rest of the group looked back at him, confused as to why he stopped.

"Thestrals," he said in a stricken voice.

Harry immediately went over to him.  "You see them too?"

This acknowledgement caused Duo to throw his arms around Harry in relief.  "Thank God I'm not the only one.  I was the only one at my last school who could see them."  Harry's cheeks flushed slightly at the impromptu hug.

The other four looked on, grim-faced, wondering why Duo reacted so strongly.  Whoever's death he had witnessed must have been very traumatic for him to have been thrown so off-kilter.  Duo and Harry then rejoined the group, Duo with a grin on his face that was just a bit too wide to be genuine.  

"Well, come on!  Let's go!  Don't you want to find out what house you're in?  And I'm starved; a couple of Chocolate Frogs and whatnot is just not enough to tide me over."  He then grabbed Quatre and Heero's hands and dragged them into one of the carriages.  The three Gryffindors just looked at each other and shrugged, before getting into a carriage themselves.

~*~*~*~*~

By the time they reached the staircase outside the Great Hall, Duo was back to his normal self again.  Harry, Hermione and Ron left them with Professor McGonagall and the other students who were waiting to be sorted.  It was then that they noticed who must have been the other two transfer students.  One had black hair that brushed his shoulders and black eyes accented by wire-framed glasses.  He was wearing white robes with a Mandarin collar and traditional knot-buttons running down the front.  The other student was a few inches taller than the rest of them, and had emerald green eyes, but one of them was obscured by a fall of long cinnamon bangs.  Clad in blue robes that were thinner than what the rest of the Hogwarts students were wearing, it was obvious he was from a warmer place than Scotland.

Duo elbowed Quatre, trying to hold in his laughter after noticing his friend staring at the tall transfer student.  He then whispered, "See something you like?"  This caused the Arabian's cheeks to get pinker than his robes.  Duo then looked over at Heero and smiled, nodding his head at Quatre.  "Looks like we may get to witness a budding romance," he told the other boy conspiratorially.

Professor McGonagall then cleared her throat to get the attention of the other students.  "We're going to go into the hall, and you'll be sorted.  Transfer students; you will be going first, and then the first years will follow.  Now come with me."

The Transfiguration professor led the way to the front of the Great Hall, where they saw an old beat up hat sitting on a stool.  Suddenly the hat started to sing.

_Another year_

_Has passed us by_

_Here's a new one,_

_Let's give it a try_

_New friends you'll make_

_Old friends you'll lose_

_It all depends_

_On what you choose_

_Five are added to our number_

_Welcome them with a friendly face_

_But where do they belong?_

_I'll put them in their place_

_Of daring deeds_

_Brave and bold_

_Gryffindor is where_

_You're part of the fold_

_Clever and bookish_

_With lots of smarts_

_Go to Ravenclaw_

_To fill your parts_

_If you re friends_

_Loyal and true_

_Then Hufflepuff is_

_The place for you_

_Now if you're sly and _

_Cunning like all the rest_

_Slytherin is where_

_You fit in the best_

_I'm a Sorting Hat; I'll do what I know best_

_Gryffindor or Slytherin, Houses of great_

_Of smarts and loyalty, these traits will tell_

_Just put me on and I'll show you your fate_

"Now when I call your name, you will come up here and I shall place the sorting hat on your head," said McGonagall.  "Trowa Barton of Beauxbatons!"

The student dressed in blue robes, now revealed to be Trowa came up and sat down on the stool, and had the hat placed onto his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table broke out into cheers, and Ernie Macmillan made room for him at the table, smiling rather pompously as Ernie was prone to do.

"Chang Wufei of Hua Ch'uan [2]!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Wufei made his way to the Ravenclaw table, immediately spotting an Asian girl and sitting beside her.

"Duo Maxwell of the Salem Witches' Institute!"

Duo grinned at Quatre and Heero and walked rather jauntily over to the stool, curious about where he'd be sorted.  He took a bit longer than the others, and it almost looked like he was arguing with the hat when it finally made its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The trio immediately stood and cheered, welcoming Duo over to their table.  Duo grinned widely, waving at everyone at the table before plopping down next to Harry.

"Quatre Raberba Winner of Madhdhab Ghaib!"

There was a nervous look on the blonde Arab's face until the hat finally called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"  He then smiled brilliantly, excited at the prospect of getting to know the other transfer student better.

"Heero Yuy of Gakkou no Houou!"

The hat had barely touched his head when it called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"  He made no show of excitement over it, just went over to the Gryffindor table and sat on the other side of Duo.  The only acknowledgement he gave that showed he was pleased was a small smile to Duo upon sitting down, and he was rewarded by a brilliant smile from the beautiful boy beside him.

~*~*~*~*~

"Welcome, everyone!  Now that the Sorting has finished, I have a few start of term notices.  As you now know, we have welcomed five transfer students from all around the world, they will all be in their sixth year here at Hogwarts, and I trust you all will make them feel welcome.  We are also welcoming two new professors.  First, our new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Treize Khushrenada."  Dumbledore then indicated an elegant-looking man dressed in bright blue robes with ginger-colored hair and a winning smile.  "Also, we welcome Zechs Merquise as the new professor of Muggle Studies."  The gentleman now standing had long platinum blonde hair and ice blue eyes and was dressed in crimson robes.  "First years, as well as our older students, will remember that the Forbidden Forest is considered out of bounds.  Now that such business has been taken care of, let the feast begin!"

The food then appeared in the golden bowls and platters, and at each table there were traditional foods from each of the transfer students' homes, something to make them more comfortable in a new place.

"Wicked awesome," exclaimed Duo, before grabbing the tureen of New England clam chowder.  Heero, on the other hand, spied a platter of spicy tekka maki [3] rolls, and he snagged a few with the set of chopsticks he was pleased to find beside his plate.

Over at the Hufflepuff table Quatre was listening absently to Ernie Macmillan ramble while trying to catch the transfer from Beauxbatons' eye.  _And I thought that Duo talked a lot!  _He then reached for the fatayer [4], which happened to be next to the bœuf bourguignon [5], and brushed his fingers against Trowa's.  The blonde flushed and stammered out an apology, withdrawing his hand from the platter he had reached for.  Suddenly there was a plate of food in front of his face, and he looked up into the emerald eyes of Trowa, and smiled.  "Thank you," he said, taking the fatayer from the handsome boy.

"You're welcome," the French boy replied in a quiet voice.  The pair went back to eating; stealing cautious glances at each other when they thought no one else was looking.

Surrounded by his fellow Ravenclaw's, Wufei was happy to find one of his favorite dishes, cha xiao bao [6], and promptly selected a few for his plate.  He then turned when the girl seated next to him started to speak.

"Hello, I'm Cho Chang.  I was wondering where in China your family is from?"

Wufei nodded, acknowledging the girl with the same family name as him.  "My family is from the Guangdong province, living in the city of Chaozhou.  Do you still have family in China?"

The smile on Cho's face widened.  "My parents left China when they were just married, but I believe they were from the Guangdong province as well.  Wouldn't it be funny if it ended up that we were related?"

"It is certainly a possibility, and it would be a pleasant surprise to find members of the esteemed Dragon clan here in Britain.  I am glad to have been placed in the same house as you."

Cho thought that his formality was funny, but attributed to the stricter societal mores of the Chinese.  "I will write to them tomorrow to find out just where they're from.  It would be nice to have family here, especially family I never met before!"

~*~*~*~*~

Harry, in an effort to avoid the crowds, as well as the first years', got the password from Ron, and gestured to Heero and Duo to follow him.  "I've got the password; I'll show you how to get to our tower.  It's a little confusing at first, but you get used to it."  The two new boys followed him out of the hall, eager to explore their new surroundings.  

Harry pointed out the changing staircases, showed them which stairs they needed to jump over, lest they get stuck in them, and introduced them to Sir Cadogan and his rather fat pony.  ("Fair damsel, I shall save thee from that scurvy knave!")  They finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, where Harry gave the password, "Glumbumble." [7]

Stepping through the portrait hole, the two new Gryffindors looked around the common room, getting a feel for their new home.  Duo promptly flopped down on one of the overstuffed couches, and grinned.  "This is great!  I still can't believe we lucked out and got in the same house as you guys!  We are gonna have some fun this year."  

Heero also sat down on the other end of the couch, whereas Harry stretched out on the floor, leaning back against the couch between his two new friends.  "Yeah, it's cool, I'm glad that some of you ended up in here with us."  Harry then shot Duo a significant look and a grin, which caused Duo to glance at Heero and blush.  "But," Harry continued, "I don't know whether I want to have Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow, or if I want to put it off as much as possible."

Heero and Duo exchanged a confused look, before Heero spoke up.  "Why?  Something wrong with Defense classes?"

Just then the portrait hole opened, revealing Ron and Hermione looking rather frazzled, with a bunch of overly excited first years.  Ron immediately collapsed in the opposite couch and sighed.  "Thank bloody hell we're rid of the midgets.  Didn't know if I could take another moment of that mess!"

Hermione just scowled at Ron, and refrained from reminding him for about the thousandth time not to refer to the younger students as 'midgets'.  "So what are we talking about?"  She sat down next to Ron, and they both blushed, but steadfastly ignored each other.

Duo scratched the back of his head.  "Defense classes, and why Harry is not looking forward to them."

Ron immediately groaned.  "I know what you mean, that guy makes me think we have another Lockhart in our midst!  Hermione, please promise us you're not going to fall in love with another empty-headed teacher with a pretty face."

Hermione immediately thwapped Ron upside the head.  "I was not in love with Professor Lockhart, I merely thought him handsome!"

At this point Duo cut in, whining slightly.  "Hello?  New students here who have no idea what you're talking about!  Mind enlightening us?"

The three Gryffindors looked contrite.  "Sorry mate," replied Ron.  "Didn't realize you didn't know about our track record with Defense teachers.  We haven't had one for more than a year since we started."

Harry nodded.  "First year there was Quirrell.  He was a stuttering mess that had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head.  He ended up turning into a pile of ash.  Second year was the brainless git, Lockhart.  You know that guy that wrote a mess of books about how he got rid of all these monsters?  Turns out he doesn't know how to do any of that, and when his memory charm backfired on him he lost all his memories and can't get them back.  Third year was great, there was Professor Lupin.  Really knows his stuff, but had to leave 'because he's a werewolf.  Fourth year had 'Mad Eye' Moody, and he was really cool, but he ended up being the Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. using a Polyjuice Potion.  Then last year there was this evil cow of a woman, Umbridge, who was from the Ministry of Magic, and she was causing all kinds of trouble because of Fudge's paranoia, and them not wanting to admit that Voldemort's back.  So now we have this Khushrenada guy.  He'll probably be a total mess too, just because of the odds."

"Well, that sucks," Duo put ever so bluntly.  "But hey, I bet it'll be funny to see the damage on this one."

Hermione, in her endeavor for academic excellence, shooed them all out of the common room and to bed, since classes started in the morning.  The sixth years went up to their respective dormitories and went to sleep, anticipating what they would face in this new year at Hogwarts.

~*~*~*~*~

[1] ghutra – Arabic headdress thing (remember when Quatre goes to back to the Maganacs to get Sandrock?  That scarf-type-thing he was wearing!)

[2] Hua Ch'uan – name of a Chinese star, means "Transforming Authority" (I know, it's corny, but I was having difficulty!)

[3] spicy tekka maki – spicy tuna rolls; it's sushi, and one of my boyfriend's favorites!

[4] fatayer – pastry pockets filled with spinach, meat, or cheese

[5] bœuf bourguignon – a beef dish with a Burgundy wine sauce (very yummy)

[6] cha xiao bao – roast pork dumpling; I made Wufei from the Guangdong province, that equals Cantonese cooking (instead of Hunan, Szechuan, etc.)

[7] glumbumble – a fuzzy insect that produces a fluid that causes melancholy (www.hp-lexicon.org)


End file.
